Hey guys,

I have a problem... in order for my engine to run properly (ie, on a even remotely tuned map), I need to run an OBDI ecu - thanks Honda for making the OBDII a pain to chip. Anyhow, I will be in need of getting a new inspection in the early months of 2007 and I was wondering if anyone has any advice/a friend of less than entirely moral value/etc on how in the world I'm going to get this thing to pass inspection.

Emissions themselves wouldn't be the problem - the thing should run within spec...however, I dunno if they do it in Wake county, but back in Buncombe, they plug into the little OBDII port to read diagnostics and such --- too bad I don't have an OBDII ecu anymore.

Any thoughts on the matter would be very much appreciated. Car is a 1999 Civic.

10/4/2006 1:42:25 AM

Put the OBDII ecu back in. Unless somebody has a way to spoof an OBDII ecu (say, with a standalone ecu or a simulator running on a laptop, etc).

There is absolutely no way to pass without OBDII for your car.

It's statewide, BTW.

10/4/2006 1:46:31 AM

problematic because the OBDII ecu won't run the car . Hrmm, now this is a serious problem.

Nathan

[Edited on October 4, 2006 at 3:31 AM. Reason : .]

10/4/2006 3:30:44 AM

There's an inspection place in Johnston Co. that's usually pretty slack... maybe they'll let you slide.

10/4/2006 5:44:28 AM

You can't slide on OBD-II

10/4/2006 6:16:28 AM

anyone know if S.C. started doin inspections yet?

10/4/2006 7:41:55 AM

Hey man,

I think that NC stopped doing the computer tests on all of their inspecions as of this year. You might want to check that out.

10/4/2006 8:55:58 AM

you cant get a conversion harness??

i had a 95 acura that i put a 99 motor, had to convert the whole harness to obd2 and the ECU.

10/4/2006 9:12:39 AM

Quote :

" think that NC stopped doing the computer tests on all of their inspecions as of this year. You might want to check that out."

and i heard that pee-wee herman is flying to the moon next week

god damn people, the pre 96 exhaust emissions is no longer done, just a safety, and obdII are still done by computer and there is no easy way to cheat it, the vin # is punched in, the old sticker is scanned, the computer verifies the vin against the sticker, the license, and the car's computer, and checks for error codes, there are ways to cheat it, but you need a real sketch shop with a computer nerd and a lot of equipment, and even if you could find one, it would be $texas$

10/4/2006 9:55:20 AM

Well, the easiest way for a sketchy shop to do it is to pull in a car that is going to pass, plug it in and pass it, then stick the sticker on your car.

The legal way to get this done would be to go to the DMV and change the vehicle status. I don't know the details, but there is a way.

10/4/2006 10:11:20 AM

I had an obd1 converted turbo civic with larger injectors. All i did was take out the injectors, plug in the obd2 ecu and stayed out of boost.

There is no reason why you're car can't 'run properly' on an obd2 ecu. It came from the factory like that.

If you have swapped in an OBD1 motor, just buy an OBD1->obd2 conversion harness so you can use your stock ecu. I have personally used the boomslang conversion harnesses and they are excellent quality and not that expensive.

Edit: just be sure to get the OBD2b harness, not obd2a (96-98)

[Edited on October 4, 2006 at 12:19 PM. Reason : .]

10/4/2006 12:18:16 PM

Are you gonna re-register your vehicle too, illegally?

B/c when they see the MY on the registration, they're gonna want to plug into the OBD-II.

How the hell (and why) did you convert to OBD-I, that was pretty dumb.

10/4/2006 1:05:21 PM

it's fairly obvious he converted for easier cheaper tuning of his car. it's pretty easy to socket and chip an older obd1 ecu and then use something like hondata, uberdata, crome, etc and be rolling for maybe $100 vs spending $texas to do it on the stock ecu

10/4/2006 1:54:10 PM

^true, but he knew he'd run into this shit. so thats no good.

10/4/2006 1:56:22 PM

Step 1
start applying now for a job at an inspection place

Step 2
profit

10/4/2006 4:06:24 PM

zxappeal, in my county, it's only safety inspection for any vehicle. I get mad every time I have to waste my money on that crap.

10/4/2006 4:37:59 PM

the motor itself is still the original motor.

However, it is running bigger injectors, drastically altered camshaft, cylinder head, compression ratio, and so forth. It's far from a factory motor anymore.

I think I may be able to get it to run on the original OBDII ecu, and maybe temporarily through in the stock injectors since they're more than sufficient for idle.

There also aren't really ANY OBDII tuning options except piggy backs which won't work for my application as I need full independant control over the ignition timing maps and the AEM and Motec units which replace the ECU entirely aren't legal for emissions either.

Nathan

[Edited on October 4, 2006 at 4:39 PM. Reason : .]

10/4/2006 4:38:10 PM

the greater question is what exactly possessed you to modify a '99 Civic to any significant degree in the first place.

[Edited on October 4, 2006 at 5:22 PM. Reason : not hating on Civics...they're pretty much the benchmark--FOR WHAT THEY'RE MEANT TO DO]

10/4/2006 5:21:35 PM

^^^it's statewide as of this year. have you had anything 96 or newer inspected recently?

it's already been said, but there's pretty much no way around this. even IF you found someone to work around and get you a sticker, it wouldn't pass as legal if the bar code was scanned. dmv will still have you recorded as not inspected also.

about the only possible scenario i can think of is if you had another hondas computer dealer flashed with you vin, then had it inspected. even then, i really have no idea if that would work.

10/4/2006 6:50:23 PM

Quote :

"anyone know if S.C. started doin inspections yet?"

not yet, my parents recently moved down there due to a job change and said there were no inspections as of yet...

and now back to the topic...

10/4/2006 7:03:59 PM

swap in a stock obd2 motor.

[Edited on October 10, 2006 at 4:45 PM. Reason : .]

10/10/2006 4:44:45 PM

^There's a pretty good ideer. If yer gonna be sportin' a fire breather, just have another complete powertrain and ecm at the ready to swap in and out.

10/10/2006 8:23:24 PM